Gorbachev: ‘I am ashamed by Putin and Medvedev’

In a Russian video interview published on Monday (1 February), former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev harshly criticises President Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

According to the last leader of the Soviet Union, Putin rules “manually” with the help of rogue factions who entrench corruption. Gorbachev opines that if elections were free, Russia would have much more opposition. The dominance of the security forces is unacceptable, said the last Communist head of state.

Gorbachev is highly regarded in the West for having facilitated the peaceful disbanding of the Soviet empire. But he is much less popular in his own country. This is the first time that he has made such strong coments about Russia’s curent leadership.

In the beginning of the seven and a half-minute interview, Gorbachev says Putin rules through personal friends, with “friends from school, with people with whom he played football on the same street”.

“For me, this style of ‘personal relations’ is unacceptable”, he tells Lyudmila Telen, Editor-in-Chief of the Radio Svoboda website.

She challenges him by saying: “That’s why they didn’t betray him. You were betrayed.”

Gorbachev replies that Putin betrayed the people, by getting hold of public property, through the pretense of reform, just to entrench corruption. He adds that worldwide, there was a return to authoritarian regimes and dictatorships.

“Does this apply to Russia?” the journalist asked.

“It does,” Gorbachev replies. He further says that deficient Russian institutions provide for the supremacy of arbitrariness and abuse.

“Our [leaders] like to rule manually,” he said.

Asked why, Gorbachev states: “Because they were not elected,” he comments, explaining that after the 1990, Russian elections became less free than they were in Soviet times. In the 1996 presidential elections, Gorbachev says that the one who won was Gennady Zyuganov [officially Boris Yeltsin won against the Communist leader, Gennady Zyuganov].

“He [Zyuganov] knew he had won the elections, and was scared,” Gorbachev said.

The journalist challenged Gorbachev by telling him that Putin would have won the elections he took part in anyway.

Gorbachev replied that if the elections had been fair, Russia would have had a much stronger opposition, and the situation in the country would have been completely different and much healthier.

The journalist commented that Russia has a tendency toward authoritarism, and asked Gorbachev how he avoided it during his time.

Gorbachev replied that this depended on the personality of the person at the helm of the country, and in their experience in running it.

“They [Putin and Medvedev] have a different experience, the experience of manual management. And rule by fear”. He quoted Victor Cherkesov, a Russian security official, who said that the present system was of a Chekist type. [CheKa, from “Extraordinary Committees” is the historic predecessor of KGB, founded by Lenin.]

“I almost got there. After University I was invited to join,” Gorbachev said, referring to the Soviet Union’s KGB.

“But you didn’t join,” the journalists points out.

Gorbachev avoids answering directly and says: “The issue is not about this. The supremacy of security structures, their excessive prerogatives in deciding political issues, and in interfering in peoples’ lives, is unacceptable, is over the top.” He argued that what the country needed most was a new electoral system, which would give people a real right to choose.

The journalist challenged Gorbachev, by saying that this would mean that at the next presidential elections, the winner would be Putin, and at the next, it would be Medvedev.

“I didn’t say that,” Gorbachev replied, and repeated that he rejects a system in which two people decide everything. “I am ashamed for them. They act in an indecent way. As if there was no society, as there was no constitution, no election system. They all decide between them. A duumvirate [from triumvirate]. But where are we, 140 million? I don’t like that. But they believe they are the saviors of the motherland.”

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12 responses to “Gorbachev: ‘I am ashamed by Putin and Medvedev’”

.. Over the past 15 years, the average Russian family income increased by 180% .. Here’s where the money reclaimed from thieves, (such as Khodorkovsky), been transferred ..
At exactly the same time.. American and British poor have become poorer, the middle class disappears, and pathologically greedy banksters grabbed it all ..
Including the offices president and prime minister ..

That is why Russia and Putin are the enemy number one of Western political rabble ..

P.S. In other hand, the West send a signal: Dear Russia.. your country will be welcomed in the West, if you allow “de-Sovietisation”.. or rather “de-Russification” conducted by our experts from Wall Street and City of London..
Our guys from Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan can start tomorrow..

P.S. During Gorbachov/Yeltzin era the treacherous deal was almost completed, then Putin came.. and challenged West..thankfully..
Gorbachov obviously misses the past.. but it will never return..

Was Gorby elected to his post? Of course not! He ultimately ruined Russia and is responsible for the mess in the Ukraine today. Russia is still reeling from the rampant corruption & lawlessness of the Yeltsin regime and the Russian people still remember the nightmare decade very well.

Under the old communist regime that existed up to 25 December 1991 (see: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/soviet-collapse.htm), every Russian citizen was exposed to intensive socialisation through the Oktyabryata movement, the Young Pioneers Organisation and the Young Communist League (Komsomol). This process typically began in kindergarten through the Oktyabryata movement (up to age 9 bordering on 10), before graduating to the Young Pioneers (age 10 – 15), continuing during adolescence in the Young Communist League (the Komsomol) and ultimately culminating (in the case of the more stridently ideological) in membership in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Given this trajectory of political socialisation, each Russian citizen would have by the age of 13 or 14 had a socialist world view inculcated in them. Situated at the centre of this socialist world view is an adoration for Lenin and his achievements.

According to the latest available published data, the population of the Russian Federation at 6 February 2016 hovers around 143.4 million (see:Worldometers (www.Worldometers.info)). Within this context, the median age is 38.9 years (1.e., 50% of the population is younger than this threshold and the other 50% older). As such, it is reasonable to infer that roughly 72 million citizens of the Russian Federation currently retain a lingering adoration for Uncle Lenin. Against this backdrop, any current leader of the Russian Federation who explicitly diminishes Lenin’s achievements risks being accused of engaging in hubris and of creating the objective conditions for his eventual political demise.

Dear Gorbi… You should be ashamed by yourself if you have any dignity left in you. What Putin and Medvedev are doing is gaining back the respect of the world for Russia. They don’t want to put Russia on sale for the western tycoons and banksters. But you are too deep in corruption to say anything else. You are a pathetic creature.

The crucial difference being that at the time Gorbachev was in power [1985-1991] the sitting American President, Ronald Reagan, was well disposed towards greater openness with Russia and a key proponent of a nuclear test ban treaty which coupled denuclearisation with firm restraints on NATO expansionism. This position aligned US policy firmly with Russia’s strategy of Glasnost and facilitated intensification of bi-lateral cultural/trade ties against the prevailing backdrop of Perestroika

This man is the same neocon he killed more people then Putin and Obama combined if Russia us corrupt then the world leaders today are devil. Look what Europe looks like trash the only leader in the world today protecting Christians is Putin. NATO and their so-called gangs have civilian blood in their hands. They have killed roped and created this mass blood bath Iraq lybia Syria next hit is lebanon and Iran why. The Zionist movement. That is why. Shame on Gorbachev you trader. I am American and I am ashamed of what this world has become we feed evil supply evil to kill women and children for the gain of wealth and power more and more Americans and the world is finding out the truth it’s time for people power and large revolution to stop blood bath blood bath caused by one group Zionist the hate Christians and Muslims. Communist socialist natonlist fascist and all false flags you have the finger print of one Zionist

Putin is doing a better job protecting his citizens Putin. Is the only person to tell the world who is. 5 years of blood bath in Syria why haven’t Europe not helping 5 years of hell. Putin right now is a savior for Syria. All the terrorists every one is bought and payed by Zionist Saudi Arabia Turkey and the rest of the false Islamic movement are the biggest terrorists in the world.